s arm, and the little girl
heard her aunt saying: "Thee must pardon the child. She has lost her
dog, and is greatly troubled. She means no harm."

The younger of the two men stood up and bowed politely, and held his hat
in his hand until Aunt Deborah had led Ruth back to the street; but
neither of the men had answered her question.

"Oh, Aunt Deborah! What made you? I know Hero is in that house. I heard
him bark. You spoiled it all," sobbed Ruth, as Aunt Deborah, holding her
fast by the hand, hurried toward home, quite forgetting the errands she
wished to do.

Aunt Deborah sighed to herself. She began to fear that Ruth was a
difficult child; and that perhaps she did not know the right way to deal
with little girls. But she did not reprove Ruth either for her rash act
or for speaking with so little regard of Aunt Deborah's authority.

"May I go in and see Winifred?" Ruth asked when they reached home, and
Aunt Deborah gave her permission.

"Oh, Winifred! I know where Hero is," Ruth declared, as the two friends
went up to Winifred's room, and she hastened to tell the adventures of
the walk with Aunt Deborah.

"I am going back after him, Winifred, and you must come with me," she
concluded.

But Winifred said that her mother was out, and that she must not leave
the house until her return. She looked at Ruth admiringly.

"I think you were brave, Ruth, to ask those soldiers. But I don't
believe they would give you back Hero if you do go back. Perhaps they
would make you a prisoner," she said a little fearfully; and at last
Ruth reluctantly agreed not to go after the dog that day. The little
girls decided that the best way would be to go straight to General Howe
and tell him that one of his soldiers had taken Hero, and was keeping
him from his rightful owner.

"I'll go to-morrow. But we must not let Aunt Deborah know," said Ruth,
and Winifred promised to keep the plan a secret.

Now that there seemed a hope of rescuing her dog Ruth was nearly her own
happy self again. Winifred got out some squares of pasteboard and very
carefully marked out patterns of the back and sides, as well as for the
seat, for the dolls' chair. Then she went to find Gilbert to borrow his
knife with which to cut the cardboard; and before Ruth started for home
the pieces were all ready to be covered. As the two little friends sat
in the pleasant window-seat Winifred said: "What do you think, Ruthie!
Gilbert wants to change his name. He wants us